Artistic Research in Artists’ Books

Abstract

The phenomenon of artistic research attracts a significant amount of attention because of the growing integration between art and science. At the same time, it remains a challenging research subject that is interpreted differently by various scientists and artists. This paper presents an attempt to investigate the role of artistic research in artists’ books. It aims to present a brief history of the artists’ books and show how various artists have captured the complex artistic processes, results, or the stories behind the works of art. The article discusses further the problem and potential of representation in artists´ books and examine the artists’ books as an effective mechanism of disseminating findings of artistic research. To present the complex artistic processes and the stories behind a work of art implies challenges. My own attempts to capture knowledge from my artistic research have been challenged while working on my own project the last year, and will be discussed. Eventually, the study will illustrate how artists’ books contribute to the process of capturing the reflections of artistic research and make the manifestations accessible to people outside of the formal contexts of the lecture halls.